Automatic railway-skid.



3. M. STANSELL Q C. D. OLAND.

AUTOMAUC RMLWAY SKID.

APPUCATION mso 1AN.25, 1915.

Llwc mlmedmlg. 3,1915.

` 3 SHEETS-SHEET L I. M". STANSELLII c. D. OLAND.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SKID.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.25, I9I5.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3,

f /l I',

. u receiving D CHAFLLE T3. QLANID, 0F BILLINGIS, ASSEGNOF'S TQ E? CMANY, QE CElYTE'ALL., ELINGIS.

Speciceton of ietters Potent.

Patented sin 3, ii

njgpiieeton :filed Kenuery 25, i915. Serial No. 4,3%.

Centrelia, in the county o't Marion, State of liinois, have,

invented certain new and useful improve ments in Automatic P21llway-hids; andr We vdo hereby dechire the ioiowing to be a fuit, cieor, and effect description of the involition, such es will enahie others skiiied in the art to which it apperteins to make end use the seine.

f`"\ 1 v J.' .4. .this invention relates to en automatic reiiwoy skid .adopted to he employed-nr conjunction with :i railway truck :tor inipeding and stopping the trm'ei ci e cnr eiong the ein Y.op u f nt om'. .p1 v 's s is ne i enden, (it ...ibo Lannoy con 'the yards 'usually cover considerable ree und are provided with non'ierous tracks and sidings. in order to teciiitnte the shift ine; ot' the cors and making up of trains of cars., s. large railway yard usually has both `7 yard sind e chissihcation yard, with o, deciivity or hump lending troni the receiving yard to the chiesi-- i'icotion j yard. Thus the receiving 7 yard iseieveted above the A classification yard, yard are brought c: rs which are intended ttor Various desti nations. For instance, at the receiving yard may he cnrs intended for half e dozen ditierent cities, located in Various ports of the cmiiitry, and in order 'to classify or seperate the cors so that nii cors. intended "tor one city will he brought together upon the seine track, the classification yard provided heiow the receiving yard,

:is this Mchissihcetioni yard is provi with n number oit sidings or spur tracks' -ieziding cti from. the che running down the "hmnpi or doch y' ifrom the receiving yard, it the practice to put :in operator in char e oi' euch cnr :is it the receiving" yard for the chission yard. its e cnr travels hy gravity i the hump i" or declivitaf, the operator in n switch tower throws the proper switch s 'es to conse the our to trm'ei onto the i' nt iii cors intended for the seine point of ordination are run onto the seine auxiliary tred in such ch netion." yard The Wis.

l hrohenisn or treininen honing, chargent' citizens ot the mechanism of his car end is supposed to appiy the brakes after the cer reaches the intended spur track in the ciassiication yard, and thereby stop the car at the proper point on such track. It frequently hep pens, however, that the braking mechanism fails to Work, with the result that the inoinentum oi the cer carries it along the branch track beyond the intended point, and 'that disastrous collisions, lith injury-:ind loss of iife and' domage to property and equipnfient oftentimes occur.

The purpose of our invention, therefore, is to provide mechanism for stopping the cer upon the track in the classicetion yard should the braking equipment of the cer ieii to Work, and by so stopping1 the' csr 'the disastrous accidents, such :is above nien! `his cer wiii not work and that such cer is running away.

it 1s else our purpose to provide en eutomatic cer stopping apparatus oi' th'eciassmentioned which Wkiil embody the desired tentures of'siinpiicity, efficiency, reliability und safety, and which may be manufactured and installed, operated and employed With a railway yard system et, e, reiotiveiy low r cost.

7iii/*ith the shove recited objects and others oi a sinnhir nature in View, our' invention consists in the construction, coinbintation and arrangement of parts set'orth in and Gol failing within the scope of the appended Y.

cioinis.

in the accompanying"drawings: Figure .is o top pien View ezt fifportioirof reil- Wey track having our invention veppiiedf* thereto. Fig. 2 1s e riemin sid'eeiere' on:

showing oneY position @iii-cnr 1eppsretus.`

Fig.' 3 y position of the apparatus or *When both skids-have been brought intoposition on the ysi'rnidai View .showing the second track to stop the travel of the car. Fig. l is an enlarged detail view of the sliding-skid and the trip lever operated thereby, looking from the inside of the track rail. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken through the rail skid on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the rocking lever of the rail skid. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the sliding skids or blocks. Fig. 9 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through the pneumatic device located in a pit alongside the trackway and adapted to operate the front skid. Fig. 1() is a similar view, but showing the parts of the pneumatic device in inoperative position, that is to say, with the air cut of therefrom. Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 11--11 of Fig. 9. Fig. 12 is a similar view taken on the `line 12-12 of Fig. 10.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the letter A designates one of the rails of a railwaytrack while the ties are shown at B. A car on the trackway is. conventionally shown at C with the front wheeled truck indicated at D andthe rear wheeled truck at D. Spaced wells or pits kE and E arelocated alongside the trackway, the distance between the two pits being substantially or approximately equal to the distance between the rearwheels of the front truck and the front wheels of the rear truck. In the pit E is located the mechanism for pneumatically operating certain parts of the-apparatus as will be hereinafter described.

The front skid of the apparatus is shown at F and is adapted to impede and chock the front truck D, while the rear skid is shown at F and is adapted to impede and chock the rear truck of the car. These two skids are in the nature of blocks'slidable on the rail A, and as the blocks are similar in construction a description of one will sufiice.

l Referring to Fig. 8 of the drawings, it will be seen that each block comprises a head section 1 and a tail section The bottom of the head'is recessed as at 3, and in this recess is housed a transversely disposed roller 4. The top of the head is flattened as at 5, and this fiattened top is provided with a transverse groove G which extends half way across the top. The tail 2 of the block has a flat bottom face 7 which is adapted to bear upon the rail, a beveled end 8, and a concaved top face 9 extending between the beveled end 3 and the 'fiat top 5 of the head. The side wall 10 of the bead which lies at the inside of the ball of the rail whenthe skid block is positioned thereon is spaced apart from the adjacent side of the tail of the block so that a segmental groove 11 is formed which is adapted to accommodate the car wheel fiange, and it 1,14e,evo

of the head, which lies at the outside of thev rail is provided with an outwardly extending lug 13 for the purpose hereinafter men-` tioned.

The numeral 14 indicates a metalli guide,

rod which extends alongside the rail, but is spaced apart from the outer face thereof, and each block or skid is provided with clamping clips 15 which are adapted to engage with the rod 14, and while these clips -permit the skid to slide along the track they also act as loose hinges so that the skid or block may be thrown from off theA rail to a position' at one side thereof as shown in Fig.

6, or moved to position on the rail, as shown in Fig. 5, as the occasion may demand.

The pit E is provided with a cover 1G slotted as at 17, and through this slot extends the trip lever 18 which is fulcrumed on the shaft 19 journaled in a bearing 20 fastened to the underside of the cover and directly beneath the rail base. To the inner end of this shaft is attached the lever 21 having connected to the free end thereof as at 22, the forward end of the connecting rod 23. This rod is bent upward so as to extend through the slot 2a and then extends rearward along the inner side of the rail A, the rod being preferably in two sections connected by a turn buckle 25 so that it may be adjusted as to length. r1`he rear end of this connecting rod 23 is bent downward and projected through the slot 26 in the cover 16 of the pit E andis pivotally connected at 27 to the arm 28 carried at the inner end of the cross shaft 29 which is journaled in bearings at the underside of the cover 16'; The other end of the shaft 29 has fast therewith the segmental arm 30 which is slottedA from the arm 30, while permitting the rod to have movement in the slot 31. A small roller 35 is carried by the rod 32 and rides.

upon the upper face of the segmental arm 30 at the sides of the slot.

From the description thus far given, it is to be understood that when it is desired to use the apparatus an operator takes two of the skids or blocks and hooks the same to the rod 14 by meansv of the clips 15 and turns the blocks so that they-lie to .one side of the rail as shown, for instance, in Fig. 6, and also at the left in Fig. 1. Now, it is to be understood that the blocks are placed properly with relation to the vertical rods 32 and 36, that is to say with the upper ends of these vertically moing rode sloclreted in the grooves 6 of -thc heads of the sinds` Uf course, when so positioned, the rml A is unobstructed and the car may travel there` along uniinpeded, it being pressuined that the hralfing mechanism of the eer ie in 'working condition so that the braliernaii may operate the saine to bring the cer to e stop et a selected point along the track Should thev brelieman,y discover, however, that thebreliee Willf'iot Work, and that the yeer is running away, he signals this tact to the operator in the switch tower and suoli operator, tiirouglithe mechanism which We will new proceed to describe, places our ep-- paretue iii operative relation with the track to stop the eer.

Located in the pit E is e solenoid magnet M adapted to'be energized by the act ot' the ope ator in the switch tower pressing e. laut ton, or closing e switch to complete an elem tric circuit through the magnet, througli suitable conductors (not shown). The plunrger 3"? of the magnet carries a, beveled stein which ie normally forced outward ty the usuel spring of the solenoid so that it engages with a notch 39 in the lower portion of the stein 4:0. This stem 4i() extends through and. works in the valve ceeingel. which ie divided by the cross partition r2 into en upper chamber 43 and a lower chemn ber el, the upper end of the Steur 4:0 entending through en opening in the partition as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. An air pipe Ll leads from a suitable source of air supply, such as e compressed air tank to the chamber 43,.f-;vliile l@ indicates en exhaust pipe from the chamber 4%. A cylindrical 'valve l? is secured to the upperr end of the stero. l0 and is located Within the cheminer 113, while the valve disk 48, of greater aree than the valve 47, is carried by the stein Ll() and.

is located in the louf'er chamber 4e.

coiled expansion spring #i9 is coiled about the stem l() and'v is interposed between the valve e8 and the bottoni of the valve cesingv ill, the normall tendency of this spring be ing to push the stein 40 upward so thntthc valve 4l? Ywill uncover the air inlet pipe e5, While thevzili'e disk LS will more to a posi- `tion above and thee close ofi the exhaust 'through the pipe 46, is shown in Fig. 9, this taking place when the stem 38 of the solenoid plunger is withdrawn from the noi-oli 39 in the stem e0, es hereinafter described.

rEhe numeral 50 indicates e. relatively large .air cylinder, the bottom 5l o which hes a, spider plate 52, theoponinge of which provide means of communication with the chamber cast integral with and pending from the bottom of the cylinder 50.

The numeral 55 indicates a web 'or casting extending between the chembe and the valve casing Lil, end this wel) cored to provide e, lateral port 5G extending between the pieton.

f into the chercher cylinder terriee et the lower end e, orticn or t i .ein the cylinder le bored to pri lo t'udinel socket adapted to eliduhly receive Stem GO, tlieiipper end of iifhiel?. carrier; a nut til., by oleane of vwhich und the' plete G2 the loosely colonec'i d with The plete sloti d et and i ed (il to enable the iut mio the Socket Si? 'in y,the well r' eind of the etere.

I'llie loo t center of the the pieton to loe litte mown manner. S0 `'which through the epider is en?. rged in croie diameter and this enlarged section, Shown et 35, projects and ce'i'ries et ite iov i il valve ELS zonined by nie relic @il ie for the pur- 56 and 571 end i eem-ithe Si. poso of controlliup,l the cir porte The bottoni wail cir the cl'iainber vided with a in Whieh the coller at the lower A-fl of the stein niet" sent.

lnutho .instit etico oil" our rrpieratus the cylinder 50 en 'ite iie'eocieted pi te dieu posed in the pn shown particularly iu Figs. and the rod 34.3 eftcndingg through ie top oi2 he pit and iutotlie Slot (3 oi the head l of the skid fs t this time We will eee-unie that the pieton iu the 50 is prese-cd into Contact 'with the bottom of the cylinder h )f the lclipeineiou Spring (S9 coiled about the stem 36 und bear4 ing et one Vend against the pieton end, :it its opposite end against the top ci the cylinder. The pla o?) ori the pieton heed beure against-the enlarged end h5 of the Stein of), end hes forced the :stein downizfard so that the vulve 6G in the chamber 5e; closes the port 57, ii'liilethe port 5G is;` openn The stein 38 of thesolenoid 'plongenholding down tno valve stein G eigeinet 'the teoeion of thc ,sprin eo that the iiilre .-li cloeee the :iii' pipe and the faire digli #l5 :it the bottoni et the valve cylinder, thee opening,T the exhziuet pipe fill. This; the iuoperative position of the per lilou', should the lireiieinan. on the cai' ein'uul to the operator .in the' switch tower that the cer iiaegottcn beyond the lnelieuienls con- 5l is profi 1 ice' ivi

ber 43, port 56, throughthe openings 53 in the spider, into the cylinder 50 beneath the piston 58 nishinnr this )iston lu )ward' l the track il to the position shown in Fig; 2.

lWhen the piston 58 reaches a point near the limit of its upward movement the plate 62 contacts with the nut 6l, and the'stem 60 is pulled upward so that the valve G6 will close the air inlet port 5G, Ithus cutting olf the air pressure, and the spring 69 expanding pushes the piston 5S downward, so that the air in the cylinder is forced through the openings 53, chamber 54, port 57 to the chamber 44 and acting on the piston disk 4S depresses the latter against the tension of the relativelyY light spring 49, thus moving the stem 40 downward and causing the valve 47 to close the air inlet pipe 45 while the valve disk 48 moves downward to open the exhaust pipe 46 so that the air from beneath the piston 58 is exhausted through the pipe 46. At this' time the operator in the tower is presumed to have released the switch or push button so that the magnet M is denergized and the stein 38 again engages the notch 39 in the valve stein 40. When the piston 58 in its descent, strikes against the top of the enlarged lower section of the stem 60, it pushes the `valve G8 downward to the position shown in Fig. 9, again opening the port 56 andclosing .the port 57, and at this time the 1stem 36 has been lowered lto its normal position 'ready for the next operation.

When the front skid F hasv been placed upon the track, as shown in Fig. 2, by the operation of the electro-pneumatic device,

just described, it lies adjacent to the upper end of the lever 1,8, while the rearvskid F is still inverted and lies to one side of. the rail A. As the adjacent front wheel ofthe front truck strikes the skid F, it rides up on the skid, as shown in the drawings, and pushes or slides the skid along the track so that the lug 13 at the side of the skid strikes the lever 18, moving the latter forward, thus turning the shaft 19, shifting the connecting rod rearward, rocking the shaft 29 in the rear pit E', thus lifting the segmental arm 3() and elevating the vertical rod 32, the upper end of which lies in tne slot 6 in the skid F, so that this skid is turned or lifted onto the track in position to engage the adjacent wheel of the rear truck D', as shown in Fig. 3. The car can, therefore, only travel a short distance, carrying the skids along the track with it, when it will be brought to a. stop. It is, of course, to be understood that when itis desired to replace the skid blocks in operative position relative to the remainder ot' the apparatus, the tralnman will detach the blocks, and carry them back to the piti' remnant the same on the rod re, r vertical rod 32, and the connections with the lever 1S may be restored to normal position shown in Fig. 2 by the trainman grasping the lever 18 and throwing it back.

While we have herein shown and de scribed one particular embodiment of our invention, we Wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to all the pre-` port located alongside the rail, a connection between `the support and the skid, whereby said skid may be moved into operative position on top ot' the rail and into inoperative position alongside the rail, and electro-pneumatic mechanism for moving the skid from inoperative position alongside the rail to operative position on the rail.

2. The combination with a skid block adapted to slide on a track rail when engaged by awheel of a car traveling onthe rail,/a support located alongside the rail, a hinge connection between the support and the skid block enabling the latter to be elevated from inoperative position alongside the rail into operative position on top of the rail, and mechanism for elevating the skid block from inoperative to operative position, said mechanism including an electro-pneumatic device located in a pit adjacent the rail and a p usher member normally in conn tactwith the skid block when the lat-ter is in its inoperative position, said pusher member being actuated b v the electro-pneumatic device at a desired time to elevate the skid block on the track.

3. T he combination with a skid adapted to slide on a trackway when engaged by the wheel of a car traveling on the rail. said skid including a head portion and a beveled tail portion, and a roller housed in the body of the skid and adapted to bear against-the top of 'the rail, a guide rod extending longitudinally of the rail, a clip detachably hing- `ing the skid to the rod to enable the skid to the ra'ii, connections between the skids and the supporting means enabling the skids to besvung trom inoperative position alongsideftlie rail into operative position on top ofthe rail, means for swinging one of said skids into operativo position on the rail, and

'when engaged. by' the wheelsfof a car' travel` A:nog on the'ralh supporting means located ,plongside the rail, vhingel connections beltween the skids and the supporting means enabling the skids tp .be swung from inoperativeposition alongside the rail into operative position on top of. the rail, independ--' ent means for moving one of said skids from inoperative position into operative position, and mechanism operable upon the sliding of the last mentioned skid for swinging the other skid into operative position on the rail,` said mechanism including a trip lever movable by said last mentioned skid, a lit`ting member engaging with the other skid when the latter is in inoperative position, and power transmitting connections between the lever and the lifting member.l

In testimony whereof, we aiiix our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

W/Vitnesses:

F. A. CAWLEY, 5 T. M. LANE. 

